Stuffed Pepper Soup

Ask anyone from Bulgaria (or the Balkans) and they will tell you one of our most iconic regional dishes is stuffed peppers. Today, we're giving this cozy, nostalgic recipe Bolbon treatment, and transforming it into a straightforward, Stuffed Pepper Soup. Not only is the soup version faster and easier to prepare, it’s the meal prep dish: low in calories and high in protein. Who said comfort food can’t be and healthy?

What stands out

Look no further for your next cozy straightforward, nourishing meal. This one is a warm hug in a bowl! Stuffed Pepper Soup has it all: lean protein, homey flavors, plentiful servings of vegetables, and rice. It’s a family meal and it can be easily adapted to different palates, diets, and time constraints. Check out all the variations and substitutions below.

How to Prepare

Roast the peppers in a 450F (230C) oven until charred and blistered all over, 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a covered bowl and let steam. Once cool, remove the skin, seeds, and stems and chop into bite-size pieces.

Add the olive oil to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook the ground meat and using a wooden spoon, break the meat into small pieces, until the water evaporates.

Add the vegetables: onion, grated carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the salt, oregano, and tomato paste.

Next add the tomato sauce, rice, roasted peppers, and broth. How thick or thin you want the soup will be up to you. You can always add more broth.

Bring the soup to a boil reduce the heat to medium-low, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Finally serve the Stuffed Pepper Soup with yogurt, sour cream, or a drizzle of hot pepper oil and enjoy!

Kitchen tip

You can add as much or as little broth depending how thick or thin you like your soup. We add less because we enjoy a stew-like consistency.

Swaps

1. Instead of roasting the peppers, you can use jarred roasted peppers (although we do find them too acidic in this recipe). We like to roast (or grill) our peppers the night before preparing our soup. Alternatively, you can use raw diced peppers in this recipe as well but it will not taste the same. You need 1 cup of peppers for this recipe.
2. You can use any ground meat of choice here: chicken, beef, lamb, and pork all work well, as well as a vegetarian ground “meat” alternative.
3. If you don’t have fresh oregano you can also use dried oregano or substitute thyme.
4. You can use any simple, plain tomato sauce in this recipe, or make your own Italian Tomato Sauce.

Serve it with

• We like to garnish our soup with a dollop of plain Balkan-style yogurt or sour cream and a dash of hot pepper oil.
• A dish as nostalgic as this one deserves to be paired with a rustic loaf of our Bapche’s No Knead Bread.
• Make it a true Balkan meal by serving this soup alongside Shopska Salad a Simple Green Salad or a Creamy Cucumber Salad.
• Make us (and our family proud) and follow up your cozy soup supper with a Semolina Cake for dessert.

Questions

What kind of broth do you use?

strong How can we pack this recipe for our kid’s lunch?

Add boiling hot water into a thermos and close it so that it pre-heats. In the meantime, warm up the soup on the stove. Dump the hot water out of the thermos and add the soup. Leave some room at the top so that it doesn’t create a vacuum seal for them as the thermos will be harder to open.

strong Can we freeze this soup?

Yes, you can, let it cool completely and transfer it into a freezer-safe container and put it in the freezer. Keep in mind that the rice will absorb a lot of the broth, so when reheating, add more broth or water. If possible, leave the rice slightly undercooked, if freezing the recipe.

strong How do we prepare this soup from frozen?

When you’re ready to enjoy your leftover Stuffed Pepper Soup, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight if frozen. To reheat, use a microwave, stovetop, or an oven. Make sure to heat it thoroughly until it’s steaming hot. You may need to add a bit of water or broth to adjust the consistency. br a

How do i make this dish vegetarian or Vegan?

You can use a vegetarian ground meat substitute in place of the turkey, use vegetable broth, and garnish with vegan yogurt or sour cream.

Ingredients

Makes 3 servings

• 6 bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• ½ cup jasmine rice, rinsed
• 3 cups broth, I used unsalted bone broth but any works
• yogurt, sour cream, and hot pepper oil, for serving

Equipment

• Cutting Board
• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Rotary Grater
• Soup Pot
• Nakiri Knife

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C). Lay the peppers on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and roast until charred and blistered all over, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the peppers.
2. Transfer the roast peppers to a bowl, cover with foil or plastic wrap, and let steam. Once cool, use clean hands to peel off the skin and remove and discard the seeds and stems. (Avoid rinsing the peppers under water because you will remove all of that good, smoky flavor.) Chop the peppers into bite-size pieces or strips. You want 1 cup of roasted peppers.
3. Add the olive oil to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and using a wooden spoon, break the meat into small pieces, and cook until the water evaporates.
4. Add the onion, grated carrot, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the salt, oregano, and tomato paste.
5. Next, add the tomato sauce, rice, roasted peppers, and broth. How thick or thin you want the soup will be up to you. You can always start with 3 cups of broth and add more if needed.
6. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
7. Serve with yogurt, sour cream, or a drizzle of hot pepper oil and enjoy!